This invention relates to slings for optionally supporting a person""s left or right arm.
Arm slings are extensively used whenever a person must protect and/or support his or her arm following an injury or sickness. A variety of arm slings is currently available on the market, and an even larger number of sling designs is known in the art as is exemplified, for example, by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,594,809 and 4,285,337. Such arm slings have the common characteristic of forming a pouch into which the person""s forearm can be placed so that his hand extends partially or fully from a front end of the pouch. A strap secured to the pouch adjacent its front and aft ends is slung over the person""s shoulder so that the weight of the arm is supported by the pouch and the strap while the arm is kept in a protected manner close to the person""s torso.
Typically, the pouches of prior art arm slings have a closed aft end and the strap, which is relatively wide to avoid undue pressure when it is draped over the person""s shoulder and carries the weight of the arm, is secured, e.g. sewn, to an aft wall of the pouch which is oriented transversely to side panels of the pouch. The other end of the strap is suitably secured to the front end of the pouch, often with buckles, pins and the like, to facilitate the application of the arm sling and make the strap adjustable in length. The pouches and/or straps are frequently made of relatively stiff and strong material to render them more rigid, a feature which is at times enhanced by incorporating stiffening plates or the like into portions of the panel such as, for example, its lower base.
Prior art arm slings are fully capable of supporting the person""s arm and frequently provide a degree of protection for the arm as well. By virtue of their construction they are, however, not longitudinally symmetrical and/or are not identical when worn on the left or the right arm. Further, they are relatively complex and, therefore, costly to produce. Moreover, when not in use, such slings are bulky and impractical to store in a small place and/or carry around; for example, in one""s pocket for use when needed.
The present invention provides a simple, practical and lightweight arm sling which can be folded into a small package, not much bigger than a folded handkerchief, when not in use. The sling is longitudinally symmetric so that it can be applied identically to the left or the right arm. It can be made of inexpensive materials and requires minimal labor to produce so that it can be economically produced. Additionally, the sling is ideally adapted to be made of attractive materials such as fabrics having pleasant colors, designs and/or patterns, in distinction to the commonly utilitarian and drab-looking slings in current use.
Generally speaking, an arm sling constructed in accordance with the present invention can be made of two elongated panels of a soft fabric, such as a stretchable webbing, which are sewn together face-to-face along a seam which extends from a front end of the panels to the aft ends thereof. Alternatively, a single piece of such fabric is folded face-to-face to form the panels. In one embodiment of the invention, a single strap of the desired width has a first end which is disposed between opposing sides of the two panels adjacent their aft ends and, therefore, is parallel to the panels. A second end of the strap defines a front loop which extends parallel to the panels at the front ends thereof and is sewn thereto at three spaced-apart locations to define openings between each panel section and the overlying portion of the strap for anchoring the sling to the person""s hand to prevent slippage during use. The entire strap is essentially parallel to the panels when the latter are placed flat-to-flat against each other; that is, the wide sides of both ends of the strap are arranged parallel to the panels and sewn to them so that, when folded, the entire strap and the panels are parallel. This renders the sling symmetric about a longitudinal center plate to render the sling truly reversible for left-or right-handed wear. In distinction to prior art slings, on which at least one strap end is non-parallel to the panels of the sling, this also draws the sling towards the patient""s upper torso, which desirably stabilizes the arm in the sling.
In use, the panels are spread apart to define a trough or pouch into which the person""s forearm can be placed. The strap is slung over the person""s shoulder to support the arm in the pouch.
To prevent the sling from sliding back along the person""s arm during use, any part of the person""s hand, but preferably either the four fingers or the thumb or both, is extended through one or the other of the openings or loops defined by the portions of the strap which overlie the front ends of the panels.
Since the strap is parallel to the panels (when the panels are folded flat against each other) and a hand- or thumb-engaging opening or loop is provided at the front end on either side of the pouch, the sling is symmetrical about its longitudinal center plane and can be worn on the left arm or the right arm.
In a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, the panels which form the trough or pouch into which the arm is placed are made of soft, pliable and preferably stretchable material, such as the stretch material available on the market under the trademark Lycra. Such materials are mass-produced in many attractive colors, designs and patterns and they are available at reasonable costs. The material is soft so that it is readily assembled into a sling by cutting the panels and the straps from a sheet of such material and then sewing them together to form the arm sling of the present invention.
A presently preferred stretchable material for the panel is a cotton-spandex material (92% cotton, 8% spandex) which is marketed by Guilforth Guilford Mills of North Carolina under the trade designation xe2x80x9cNo. 3035 Cotton Spandex French Terryxe2x80x9d fabric.
Further, the length of the panels (in a direction parallel to the patient""s arm) is selected so that the distance between the aft end of the trough and the loop engaged, for example, by the patient""s four fingers (with the thumb located outside the loop) is less than the corresponding distance of the patient""s arm measured from the elbow to the portion of the hand between the thumb and the four fingers, so that the sling must be stretched to apply it over the arm. Such stretching renders the sling taut, wrinkle-free and, therefore, attractive. More importantly, by maintaining the material stretched and taut, the weight of the arm is more evenly distributed and the formation of pressure points, due, for example, to folds and creases which may form in loose materials, particularly relatively stiff fabric of which prior art slings were frequently made, is prevented. This renders the slings significantly more comfortable to wear and relieves weight on the neck muscles of the patient.
Still further, high-quality stretch fabrics, such as the above-referenced cotton-spandex material, permit sufficient longitudinal stretching of the sling to permit manufacturers to reduce the number of different-size arm slings that must be carried in inventory. This reduces both production and inventory costs. For example, the same-size sling made according to the invention can fit persons having a body weight between 90 and 250 lbs.
The versatility of the arm sling of the present invention is further enhanced by permitting longitudinal adjustment of the strap of the sling while maintaining its longitudinal symmetry so that the sling can be worn on either arm. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the strap is made of first and second segments affixed, e.g. sewn, to the respective ends of the trough. One of the segments is made of two opposing parts, which can be spread apart into a V shape, and which receive, between them, a free end of the other strap segment. A Velcro(copyright) type fastener system is appropriately incorporated in the opposing sides of the free strap end and the two-part strap so that the free strap ends can be longitudinally moved relative to each other for lengthening or shortening the strap. When the strap has the desired length, the spread-apart strap parts are pressed against the free end of the strap segment between them and the strap is ready for use.
Velcro(copyright) fastener systems or hook-loop connectors in the form of a fabric forming loops and a cooperating fabric forming hooks are commercially available under the trademarks Veltex(copyright) and Velcro(copyright), respectively, from Velcro USA in Manchester, N.H.
Since the sling requires no hardware and is readily foldable, it can be folded into a small package only marginally larger than a folded handkerchief for storage and nonuse and can, for example, be carried in garment pockets.
Thus, the sling of the present invention is practical to use, economical to make, and can be sold at a relatively low price.
If desired, a simple, small buckle can be included in the strap to make its length adjustable.